Casad Dam Explained

Casad Dam
Location Map:Washington
Coordinates:47.5381°N -122.7797°W
Country:United States
Location:Bremerton, Washington
Purpose:Municipal water supply[1]
Status:O
Construction Began:1955
Opening:1957
Cost:$1.4 million
Owner:City of Bremerton
Dam Type:Concrete arch
Dam Height:190feet
Dam Length:416feet
Dam Elevation Crest:643.7feet
Dam Width Base:56feet
Res Name:Union River Reservoir
Res Capacity Total:1400000000usgal
Res Catchment:3000acres
Res Surface:40acres
Res Elevation:607feet
Extra:Coordinates from USGS, specifications from factsheet unless noted

Casad Dam is a concrete arch dam in Bremerton, Kitsap County, Washington), built starting in 1955 and completed in 1957.

The dam is Kitsap County's only major water diversion structure, impounding Union River to form a reservoir that is the source of over half of Bremerton's municipal water supply. The water is gravity fed from the reservoir at in the hills to the city, most of which is at or near sea level.

Bremerton owns 95% of the land in its 3000acres watershed, and the Union River reservoir behind Casad Dam holds 1400000000usgal of water. The city is unusual in drawing most of its water supply from an open air source, the reservoir, which can occasionally be affected by algal blooms.

The dam's intake tower underwent seismic retrofit in 2012 to withstand a 0.78 g peak acceleration in a maximum credible earthquake from the Seattle Fault which runs about four miles (7 km) away, on the north side of Green Mountain.

Notes and References

  1. Secondary use as flood control: